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Cine-radiography set, England, 1950-1951

In 1951, this machine exhibited in the Dome of Discovery at the Festival of Britain on London’s South Bank. It was presented as an example of ‘the technical progress in the British X-ray industry’. It allowed Watson & Sons to showcase this complex cine-radiography set. The set consists of a 35mm cine camera, projector, X-ray tube, a patient’s couch and a radiographer’s stool. Only two machines of this type were manufactured. This one was used as a diagnostic tool at the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down, Wiltshire. The machine films joint or lung movement. It can also monitor a barium meal as it moves around the body. A physician or radiologist replays the film to make a diagnosis. The machine was developed in collaboration with Dr Russell J Reynolds (1880-1964) who pioneered using cine-radiography from 1921.
The 35mm cine camera was made by Newall Engineering Company Limited, Peterborough, England. The X-ray tube was made by Machlett Laboratories in the US.

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Glossary

Glossary:

Glossary: x-rays

A wave of electromagnetic radiation that has high energy and short wavelength. It is able to pass through many materials, except those of high density such as metals or bones. Discovered in 1895 by William Roentgen.